How I Kept From Getting (Really) Sick This Winter

I thought long and hard before writing this particular article, since I didn’t want to jinx myself (that’s the Korean in me). But since I also felt like writing this would do people a lot of good, so I decided to soldier on with it.

Well, at least it’ll help prepare you for the next winter.

In any event, I didn’t do any bizarre rituals, or take any weird supplements…unless you count mixing up some apple cider vinegar with apple juice and water weird. Rather, this is what I do on a daily basis:

I drink plenty of fluids. This is something that I’m notorious for not doing, usually because I’m not that thirsty. In particular, I will usually never drink anything during any of my meals. I kind of feel like it gets in the way of me eating more…at least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself my whole life. I don’t know if there’s any scientific evidence that this is true, but yeah, I usually don’t.

However…

I eat lots of soup. In particular, Campbell’s Homestyle Soup, usually the Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla kind. Also, since my wife and mother-in-law love to make soup, I’ve been eating a lot of that for dinner as well (I almost always eat soup for lunch). Not only does the broth in the soup count towards the fluids that I need to stave off any illnesses, but I find that eating hot foods keeps me warm longer. To most of my friends, I’m known for eating lots of comfort food like mac and cheese, soup, casseroles, etc. There actually is a reason why I do so, besides the fact that they taste so good.

Speaking of my mother-in-law preparing soup, that coincided with both her and my wife coming off of the Reboot diet, which if you haven’t seen the movie, I highly suggest that you do. But rather than put the video in this article, I’ll instead direct you to the movie on Hulu. Take a peek at it whenever you get the chance (it’s called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead).

Going back to drinking lots of fluids…

I drink an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) cocktail twice a day. I feel as though this is the single most important “weapon” in my battle against getting sick. I first started drinking this whenever I got a severe sinus infection back in late July of last year, which happened to be the time that I started working at La Quinta. To make a long story short, drinking a couple of tablespoons of ACV a day not only cured my sinus infection, but it also took care of my (tooth) root infection, which was associated with the sinus infection. It also got rid of a lot of the aches and pains that I had accumulated over the years, from the combination of participating in various sports, as well as doing (a lot of) dumb stuff.

Mix the ACV and apple juice into a bottle (like a shaker bottle, water bottle, etc). Shake vigorously, then top off with water, if desired. For best results, refrigerate overnight.

Sometimes I’ll mix in a half of a bottle of 5 Hour Energy for an additional boost, but if you’re not accustomed to drinking any sort of energy drinks, then I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, for the few days that you do this…stay close to a toilet at all times.

Did I mention that it acts as a cleanser as well?

Admittedly, there were a couple of times where I started to feel a little sick.

As soon as I felt it coming on, I immediately ran to the store and grabbed this:

I was first turned onto this from a former colleague of mine. I would recommend taking the entire amount of the contents inside. I was able to not have whatever was turning into the flu…well, turn into the flu.

Last but certainly not least…

I work out regularly. I find that working out regularly, regardless of what you do, will help you stay healthier, and recover from any ailments quicker, as opposed to not working out. This is especially critical if you live a sedentary lifestyle, which I think accounts for the vast majority of us. If it was extremely cold outside, I would usually avoid going out to the gym. On the rare occurrence that I did, I made sure to bundle up, keeping my chest, head, and extremities really warm. I find that this helps a lot as well.

I usually lift weights, do yoga/pilates, and run. Whenever I can, I’ll also ride my bike and go on walks with my wife and dog, which I heard that this also good for your pets as well.

While I can’t guarantee that you’ll stay disease-free this winter, or the next, if you do all of these things, you could certainly tip the odds back in your favour. Good luck!